THE WEAPON Review: Tony Schiena’s Directorial Debut, Unlocked And Unloaded
The Weapon is currently available on Digital and On Demand, and will release on DVD beginning March 28.
The Weapon is currently available on Digital and On Demand, and will release on DVD beginning March 28.
Director Anthony Nardolillo’s new film, Righteous Thieves, comes with a great premise to get things going for a worthy story of revenge and redemption. Pre-empting our tale are flashbacks leading up to the moment where Anabelle (Lisa Vidal) makes her entrance into the halls of the Syndicate, a group dedicated to securing and preserving artwork stolen by the Nazis in World War II. Despite failing a previous mission, Anabelle remains adherent to the promise she made to the late Holocaust survivor who once took her in, and with her eye on at least four paintings currently in the possession of a ruthless Nazi art hoarder named Otto (Brian Cousins), Anabelle gathers a team of familiars once more with the help of longtime partner, Eddie (Carlos Miranda).
This movie critic must preface this review with a brief historical comment, that this long dormant short film written and directed by cinema great Sheldon Lettich was shot in 1983 and finished in 1986. It’s been well over three decades and finally, his vision of war has been carefully reconstructed for release – and this movie critic was one of the very first people to watch and critically assess it.
The highly anticipated third instalment to the Creed franchise is hitting cinemas this week on 3rd March. I was lucky enough to check out the film at an early press screening thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures UK in glorious IMAX and I was not disappointed.
With much recent film buzz dedicated to Chad Staheski’s long-anticipated JOHN WICK 4 (2023) among other blockbusters being released, it is somewhat sad to see that Mel Gibson’s recent film ‘ON THE LINE’ (2023) overshadowed by other offerings – when in all honesty, Gibson’s work should never be ignored. Regardless of his exploits beyond the silver screen, the man is quite simply one of the greatest gifts to modern cinema; a talented actor, director, and icon that should command more respect than be recognised for courting controversy. (And yes, as this movie critic is Australian there is a clear bias but one that is justified and vindication especially if one refers to his large catalog of films).
You’d never know it considering the lack of marketing that most niche independent films get, but actor Mykel Shannon Jenkins, best known for roles in Undisputed 3: Redemption and Bao Tran’s The Paper Tigers, is also an accomplished filmmaker with four directing credits to his name among other short film and TV projects. His current resume at the helm includes his 2017 sophomore effort, The Gods, an operatic Romeo & Juliet-style crime drama about what it means to choose between families when falling in love means possibly going to war.
Well Go USA’s press pack for director Cheng Er’s latest film, Hidden Blade, partly states that he’s best known for keeping his audiences guessing. That he does, this time with a story set in the early 1940s with events chronicled before, and afterward, amid the Communist party’s campaign as it’s set against the backdrop of the invasion of imperial Japanese forces. The film weaves in its elements and characters from all angles, flashing forward in its efforts to set things in motion for the audience to begin following our main characters and learn more about them.
Filmmaker Mark Earl Burman hasn’t solo-directed a full feature in more than twenty-five years, but he’s worked within capacity as a producer on dozens of titles in addition to several more acting and screenwriting credits. His sophomore effort treads familiar territory for fans of compelling military and survival dramas with Ambush, tracking back to 1966 during the Vietnam War with the story of a mission gone awry.
It’s one thing to tell a story of “good versus evil”. It’s another to observe this narrative in a way that brings nuance without negating reality or even common sense. I would imagine this brings challenges to any director or screenwriter, including and especially Scott Major in his striking psychological crime thriller out of Australia, Line Of Fire, as it’s titled for its U.S. release.
The Other Fellow arrives in U.S. theaters and on-Demand from Gravitas Ventures beginning February 17.
The Wandering Earth 2 is now playing in U.S. theaters from Well Go USA Entertainment. The film will open in UK and Irish cinemas beginning January 27 from Trinity CineAsia.
Gunfight at Rio Bravo is now available in the U.S. from Shout! Studios
If you regularly take in Asian movies, then you can certainly understand director Reiki Tsuno’s logic and motivation of late. Citing a need for Japanese filmgoing audiences to enjoy “fun movies that make you feel happy,” it comes as no surprise that he would create a film that centers its narrative on one of the most enigmatic yet culturally beloved domestic mammals, particularly in Japan. What’s impressive, of course, is the degree to which Tsuno pulls this feat off in his feature directorial debut, Mad Cats, which screens for Slamdance this weekend.
Project Wolf Hunting arrives on Digital, Blu-ray & DVD February 14 from Well Go USA Entertainment.
It’s been a minute since director Timo Tjahjanto’s newest action comedy, The Big 4, started streaming on Netflix and as full as my plate is, I couldn’t end ’22 without lending my two cents on the pic which otherwise continues the director’s nascent relationship with the streamer since 2018’s The Night Comes For Us.
One of the most exciting shows currently streaming on Netflix that isn’t Squid Game just happens to be the show that did it first: Alice In Borderland. Season two, directed by Shinsuke Sato, is currently running with actors Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya leading the way once more along with a row of both new and returning characters, and some thrilling new challenges to pepper things up a bit, including Face Card challenges which up the ante even more than before.
Consider yourselves still invited to check out Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Dante Lam’s The Battle At Changjin Lake as its ceremonial pro-Communist China sequel now remains on deck for its UK release with director Lam’s The Battle At Water Gate Bridge (a.k.a. The Battle At Lake Changjin II). The events of the first film tie directly into the second with actors Wu Jing and Jackson Lee among the numerous names and faces shepherding the story of the members of the People’s Liberation Army in its efforts to beat back the Americans during the Korean War.
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